21 August 2015
The Regional Fit for School Programme in Cambodia aims to prevent infectious diseases among public primary school students to improve school attendance through three simple and low-cost interventions: 1) daily hand washing with soap; 2) daily tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste; and 3) bi-annual deworming.
In July 2015, as part of the collaboration with UNICEF to expand the Fit for School Programme to more primary schools in Cambodia, 58 group washing facilities have been installed in 6 Primary Schools in Phnom Penh.
The group washing facility enables students to conduct daily hand washing and tooth brushing in group when they are at school, using less water and time than conventional washing facilities. The group washing facility was designed by GIZ Fit for School Programme as part of the technical assistance to local partners in finding solution for a low-cost washing facility that can be produced in scale and ensures functionality. The facility, which can accommodate up to 22 children at a time, is prefabricated by Don BoscoTechnical School in Phnom Penh. Schools and communities ownership are encouraged by their involvement in choosing locations to install the group washing facilities, and the enhancements of the facilities by painting or adding flower/gravel bed to absorb water or adding a roof to provide shade for children. The enhancements are optional and based on school preferences and available resources.
To date, over 1,000 of group washing facilities have been prefabricated in collaboration with UNICEF. Such facilities will be installed in140 more target primary schools this year in Takeo, Kampot, Kampong Thom and Kampong Chhnang Provinces. 53,000 school children will be covered and benefit from these installations. The expansion with UNICEF in the second round will cover 43,000 more children to reach out to a total number of 100,000 children by early 2016. The facilities are also being installed in Laos and the Philippines.
For more information and work on the group washing facilities, please refer to the Facebook grouplink provided here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/632408213516487/
